Wilson on President Obama's Fiscal Year 2012 Budget

Statement

Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (FL-17) today released the following statement on President Obama's proposed budget for fiscal year 2012:

"President Obama inherited a fiscal disaster from his predecessor, including a $1.2 trillion deficit. It took eight years of irresponsible spending and tax cuts for the wealthy to get us into this predicament in the first place and it will take longer than two years for us to dig out.

"The President's budget makes tough choices to move our nation forward, but at the same time we must be careful not to place an undue burden on our most vulnerable citizens.

"I'm pleased that the budget reduces the deficit by over $1.1 trillion over the next decade but maintains critical investments in education, innovation, and infrastructure. I'm encouraged by his commitment to prepare 100,000 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers for our communities and invest $8 billion in Head Start and Early Head Start to serve nearly 1 million children and families. The President understands deeply that education is an investment we cannot afford to shortchange.

"In contrast, the Republican budget is a recipe for disaster for our most vulnerable citizens -- working-class Americans, students, and seniors. Their plan would eliminate over 200,000 children from Head Start and drastically slash funding for the COPS hiring program, which would lead to 1,330 fewer policemen on the streets. If we're serious about keeping our communities safe, we should reject these misplaced Republican priorities.

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